Summer Writing
by Mirabelle P
Summary: Lily has just come home for the summer when she receives a letter informing her that she has been chosen to be the 5th year Gryffindor prefect, a choice that will have unexpected consequence to her! Lily/Sirius friendship.
1. Crazy Little Thing Called Hope

A/N: Dear readers! Welcome to my humble story! I hope you'll like it enough to read it till the end. A couple of things before you start reading: first of all, I'm not actually a native English speaker, so you will certainly find a couple of mistakes and things that sound almost right but not quite. Please don't hold it against me! If anyone is willing to beta the rest of the story (it's four chapters long), do get in touch!  
The second thing I wanted to say is that I've taken a couple of liberties and made a couple of minor changes (the 5th year prefects for example…). So yeah, just so you know, these little differences are intentional.  
That being said, enjoy reading!

** Summer Writing**

Chapter One: Crazy Little Thing Called Hope.

One warm and sunny summer day, in a tiny little garden at the back of a tiny little house near London, sat Lily Evans. She was sitting in the shade of her neighbour's big magnolia tree, reading a book. Having just come back from her boarding school the day before, she enjoyed being able to do whatever she wanted, although it was a feeling that always left her lost and confused at first. But once she had decided to start reading _Pride and Prejudice_ – for the fourth time – she felt a lot better. All was quiet around her apart from the occasional sound of a passing car. It was the last day of school for most kids in the neighbourhood and soon, she knew, the quietness would be filled with cries and laughter as soon as they got back home. But for the moment, she felt like she was the only living being in the area. And she quite liked the feeling, especially because she knew it was not going to last too long.  
The next day, her sister would come back from London, where she was studying. It is not that the two sisters did not get along, but they were so different that they often found it difficult to understand each other. For a start, Lily was a witch and had always been one, though she had only found out about it four years ago. Her sister on the other hand was not, and it probably explains why she was slightly apprehensive of it. A multitude of details coming, perhaps, from their fundamental divergence made their differences stand out more and more.  
But Lily was not thinking about that for the moment, captivated as she was by her reading. In fact, she took no notice of anything that was not her book until an owl flew up to her and dropped a heavy letter on her lap. She looked up with a start. Once she had got over the initial shock of being thrown out of the fictional universe of Jane Austen, she picked up the envelope and unfolded the sheets of thick parchment she found inside of it.

"_Dear Miss Evans _(she read)

_ I have the pleasure to inform you have been chosen to become the 5th year prefect of the Gryffindor House. We, the board of the school and I, think that, regarding your scores at the end of the year examinations and your past behaviour, you are fully capable of managing the demanding task of being a prefect.  
__Your charge this year comprises, on top of all the habitual responsibilities of prefects (see p. 2), helping with the organisation of a Christmas Ball that will be held to celebrate the school's 800__th__ anniversary. You and the other 5__th__ year prefect of Gryffindor, Sirius Black, _("Waaaait a minute!" she thought. But still, she read on.) _are responsible for putting together a menu for the dinner that is to precede the Bal (see p. 3).  
__You will find, enclosed, your prefect badge that you are required to wear at all times with your uniform.  
__I hope you will find your new status to be, not just as a challenge, but also as a reward and an opportunity to weave closer links with people from your own, or from a different house. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Albus Dumbledore."_

"You bet" Lily could not help but think. She knew perfectly well why the Headmaster had written that very last line. It probably had not escaped his attention that she was somewhat set aside, even in her own house. She was very capable of making friends, that was not the problem. In fact, until her 3rd year, she had had two good friends, Camilla and Anna. But then the two of them started seeing more and more of the two other Gryffindor girls in their year, Mylena and Clarissa, and Lily had become quite jealous, though she never got the chance to tell them that. In fact, before she did, Mylena had forced her friends to make a choice: either they were to remain friends with her and Clarissa and stop talking to Lily all together, or they could not be friends with them anymore. This situation had gone on for days and days until, in the end, Camilla and Anna chose the two other girls over Lily.  
Now what seemed nothing more than a children's argument soon came to take a different turn. In these days, the political situation was quickly changing – and not for the better – with the rise of a dark wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort. Lily being a muggleborn had not mattered at all when she first set foot in Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Only a few of the most conservative "pure blood" families would have been offended to know that she was the first witch in her family. But now, things were different. Voldemort hated muggles and muggleborns. He hated anyone who was not pureblood. And he hated mugglelovers. In a few years of bloody attacks, he had managed to create such a sphere of fear and distrust that there only very few people bold enough to stand against his will. He had spies everywhere. The number of his loyal supporters was growing every day – by fear or magic, no one was able to tell for sure. He knew everything and never forgave people for disobeying his orders. And his orders were that all mixed blood wizards should be eliminated from their community and that he should rule the world.  
The consequence this had for Lily was that, her friends' parents fearing for their children, they had told them not to get too close to her. And Lily, who had not quite managed to free herself from a shyness she had had since her childhood, had been left alone and unable to find new, bolder friends.  
Not everybody was on the side of Voldemort, or too scared of him to take any clear position against him. Dumbledore belonged to these braver people, and that explains why, even in this critical situation, Lily was allowed to remain at Hogwarts. A group of boys in her year, who were the Marauders, were like that as well. She talked to them sometimes. But, as she was quite a discreet person, especially now that she felt somewhat unwanted in the school, she often kept to herself, in the library or in other quiet places of the castle. To most people, it looked like she preferred to be left alone, so they did not bother to try and make closer acquaintance with her.  
This had been going on for about a year and a half now, and it was one of the reasons why Lily was more than ever glad to be back at home. Here, at least, she had a real friend, who did not care whether she had magic powers or not and who her parents were. She and her neighbour Clare had been friends for as far back as she could remember. She was the only muggle outside of her family to know about Lily being a witch. Instead of growing apart over the years, as childhood friends often do, they grew closer as time passed, probably partly because Lily had no real friends at school. To Lily, it felt almost like she had another sister that was nothing like Petunia but more like what she had expected sisters to be, sisters you only found in books – or at least, so it seemed to her.  
She had reached this point of her thoughts when the first car full of children stopped in a driveway, a couple of houses away from hers. And soon, like she had pictured it, the quietness was filled with cries and laughter. She picked up her book and letter and headed for the house.

A/N: Well that's it so far. You liked the story? Or not? Why? Please, let me know! (Me loves feedback!)


	2. One By One All Day

A/N: Alright people, here's my second chapter! Hope you'll like it!

Chapter Two: One by One All Day.

The next day was Saturday. Probably out of habit, Lily woke up rather early. Opening the curtains, she glanced to Clare's house across from hers, but the curtains of her friend's room were still drawn. She was about to turn away from the window when she noticed a great tawny owl sitting on a branch and looking at her intently. When she made to open the window, it stretched its wings and landed on her desk. Lily did not own an owl herself, so she asked:

"Are you expecting a reply?" The owl gave a brief nod. "Would you mind waiting a bit, then? There is some food and water in the corner."

She always kept owl-treats in her room, just in case. Once the owl had left her desk for her corner, she settled down and opened the envelope. A weird feeling had crept inside her stomach ever since she had seen the owl: she had recognised it as belonging to Sirius Black. She had completely forgotten about him being the other Gryffindor prefect up to that moment. Being curious about what he was writing, she all but ripped open her letter. Inside, she found a simple sheet of parchment and, in Sirius Black's messy handwriting, the following message:

"_Dear Lily _(she could tell he had meant to write Evans at first but then had changed his mind.)

_Wotcher? Congratulations on being made prefect (not that it was at all unexpected). I suppose you have received Dumbledore's letter as well. You also probably noticed we had a special task this year… Well, for a change, I decided not to wait for the very last moment to do this (stop laughing!) and I thought we might as well get started right now, because we will probably have too much work/much more interesting things to do to have time to think about it once we're at Hogwarts (and also, I'm bored to tears and really got nothing better to do than dreaming up menus, so yeah…) What'd you reckon?_

_Anyway I hope you got home all right and are enjoying your holidays like you should. Don't work too hard!_

_Sirius."_

Lily read this letter once. Then once more. And finally she gave a chuckle. "Well, he must be very bored" she thought. And she rummaged through her big trunk and found her paper, ink and feathers. Then she sat down at her desk again and started writing.

_"Dear Sirius,_

_Congratulations to you too! To be honest, I was quite surprised when I got Dumbledore's letter, but I got over the shock rather quickly. I think I'm already quite used to my brand new status of prefect – I haven't started wearing my badge yet but just give it a couple of days…_

_Being home again feels great! I haven't even started unpacking and my whole room's an absolute mess. It's really good to see my family and my friend Clare again!_

_I think your idea of getting started on the menu now is a good one. It's meant to be a bit like a restaurant menu, right? I mean you can order different things from a menu and the house-elves will sort all the orders out? I don't know if that actually makes things easier for us or not…_

_Ok, so the basics first: we need a three-course meal. For starters, we could have a sort of sea-food or… I don't know, foie gras? I have no idea about the main course though – again some meat or fish with vegetables and something else… and then, for desert, there are endless possibilities…I'm open to all suggestions!_

_Well, I hope you're spending better holidays than you make it sound like – I know thinking about food can be endless fun but still, you've got to have better things to do! _

_Lily."_

She handed the letter back to the owl, which immediately flew out of the window. She made her way downstairs yawning and thinking the idea of her "written conversation" with Sirius over. He was one of the Marauders, supposedly the biggest troublemaker of them all. All she knew, was that he had always been incredibly nice to her, trying to make her laugh with his jokes when she was down. But she could not remember having ever really talked to him, that is to say, about things more serious than schoolwork and teachers and pranks. But then again, their letters so far could not really qualify as intimate… Still although it was to discuss food, he had made the effort of writing to her instead of waiting until the beginning of the school year.

Her parents were already up and about in the kitchen. They had arranged to pick up Petunia before twelve, and it was already ten. Lily's father was slowly sipping his coffee all the while doing his best to keep both his eyes open.

"Morning darling" said her mother when she entered the sunny kitchen "Had a good night's sleep?"

"Alright, thanks. Probably longer than dad's anyway."

"Just wait till the coffee kicks in. I gave him an extra dose today, because he's got all of Petunia's boxes to carry."

"Oh yeah, right. Lots of fun!"

"Don't tell me about it…" muttered her father to his cup of coffee.

After breakfast, her father was slightly more awake and her parents were able to go and pick up their eldest daughter. Lily took a quick shower and almost dropped the towel she was holding around herself when, upon entering her room, she found the tawny owl sitting on her desk once more. "That was fast" she thought " he really must have nothing better to do than to write to me about food". Because having the owl staring at her made her feel uneasy she grabbed her clothes and got dressed in the bathroom. Then, for the second time of the day, she settled down and unfolded a letter from Sirius Black.

_"Dear Lily,_

_Walking around with your prefects badge on? Maybe I should try that as well to impress my little brother. I'm not convinced it would work though, and I'm sure that won't stop him from looking through my stuff. Actually he'll probably just point and laugh. Definitely not a good idea._

_I'm glad to hear you're having fun! I didn't know you still had some muggle friends. Isn't it too complicated to keep the fact that you're a witch from them? And also, how's your family feeling about you being a witch? I mean, I guess they'd never heard of our world before the Hogwarts letter came along… It must have been quite a shock._

_Anyway, let's talk about FOOD for a bit: I think your idea of starters should be fine – what about a shrimp salad and foie gras? Now for the main course… if I remember correctly, what my lovely parents had at their last formal dinner was something that looked and tasted like intestines with honey. I definitely don't recommend that. And the time before that, they had beef tongue. Which was not much better. So yeah, I guess I can't really rely on my personal experience of posh food…_

_What about… salmon with some kind sauce or steak and with it… roast potatoes and maybe, I don't know, beans? Doesn't actually sound too posh to me but I've got nothing better in mind for the moment._

_Ok I've picked out the main course so you get to do the desert. I think I'll go back to my food dreaming now, haha. Speak to you soon! (or whatever it is you're meant to say when you're writing)_

_Sirius."_

At once, Lily picked up her quill and a new sheet of parchment.

_"Dear Sirius,_

_I'm sure that with or without your prefect badge you're perfectly capable of impressing your younger brother! How old is he anyway, I don't think I've ever seen him around Hogwarts before?_

_Do you have anything special planned for the holidays? I always thought you and the other Marauders met up all the time during the summer to plot all your evil schemes for the upcoming year I'm glad you guys keep us entertained!_

_To answer your questions: I don't really have many muggle friends left. To be fair, Clare's the only one I have and she knows about me being a witch. We're really close – she's actually closer to me than anyone I know at Hogwarts. She lives across the street from me and we've known each other since we were kids. I was so scared that she would react badly to the news that I was a witch and that I would have to leave for Hogwarts, because we'd already planned out everything for high school and stuff, but she wasn't mad at all and we're still great friends, although we don't see each other half as much as before._

_My parents both took the fact that I was a witch really well. They were a bit surprised and confused at first, of course. But they're really curious about the wizarding community and keep asking me about Hogwarts and stuff. They can't wait till I'm off-age so I can show them some of the magic we get taught. My sister's not quite like that. I think she doesn't understand magic at all and that it scares her a bit. But she was really alright about it as well._

_What about you? Writing this I have actually realised how little I know about you. You're from a wizarding family, aren't you? That's something I find fascinating: you must know so many things I still don't understand. It's weird to think of how different our lives must have been before we went to Hogwarts!_

_I think I've said quite enough for now, so, if you have actually made it this far without falling asleep, here's something about FOOD: so for the moment, what we have is a shrimp salad or foie gras as starters; then intestines - I mean, salmon or steak with roast potatoes and beans; what about tart Tatin or profiterolles or ice-cream as desert? And what about the drinks?_

_I think that's about what Dumbledore expects. Once we've settled the last details maybe we should send him a copy of our menu to have his opinion…_

_Sweet daydreams about food. Speak to you soon (again, for lack of a better expression…)_

_Lily."_


	3. One Thousand and One Letters

A/N: Right guys (if some people actually make it this far…), here's the 3rd chapter! Only one more to go! Also, please, please, please! Can you leave a review? Even if it's to tell me what you think could have been better, or what you didn't like… I'd love to have some feedback! Thanks!

Enjoy the reading!

Chapter Three : One Thousand and One Letters (or Perhaps not Quite as Many)

After that, the letters came and went almost without interruption for the rest of the day. Clare came to visit and they both sat in Lily's room, chatting and waiting for Sirius to reply, and then writing the answers together. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, they did not dare leave the room for fear that the owl may come back while they were away. In a few days, Lily learned more about Sirius Black than during a whole four years at Hogwarts. After this first day, there were, of course multiple interruptions, whole days without a single letter. But Lily could never quite get Sirius out of her mind. That is how the first days of Lily's summer went by.

"_Dear Lily,_

_I think it's quite impressive that you managed to be as close to your friend, although your daily experiences are completely different. It must be pretty hard for her to relate to what you are telling her about the wizarding world, considering she has never set foot in it herself. The same goes for your family. I think that, overall, muggles are far more tolerant than the wizards when it comes to accepting differences._

_It's funny that you should mention your curiosity when it comes to wizard families. I've got the same thing about your family. I don't think I've ever been in a muggle home before. _

_I suppose that's my cue to start talking about my family… I don't usually talk about them that much. I guess we could say in all fairness that we have some – ah, let's say small disagreements. And that is just political correctness. Now if I wanted to be blunt, I'd have to tell you that my family belongs to the kind of old, pureblood families who agree with most of the things that Voldemort promotes. The only reason why my parents are not actively taking part in the fight is because what they love most is standing backing and watching things unfold. My whole family, cousins and all, went to Slytherin. You probably know some of them like Narcissa and Bellatrix…. My brother, who is going to Hogwarts next year, will probably end up there too as far as I can see. So yeah, needless to say that I don't share their view on things at all._

_On a "lighter" note, my plans for the summer. Well, my parents have basically sorted everything out for me. I am to stay locked in our home, except for the occasional party among purebloods (or should I say deatheaters?). Like every summer. And of course, they absolutely detest the Potters, I can't stay with Remus because his family is not pureblood and Peter is abroad. Fun, fun, fun._

_I'm sorry if I sounded bitter. I really don't mean to scare you off or anything. It's just that there's nothing I can do to make all of this sound vaguely amusing, so I thought I might as well get it all over and done with in one go. I hope you won't be put off by it all…_

_After this big digression, let's go back to the primary topic of this letter: FOOD. The menu sounds about right to me. I think the drinks could be water and grape juice to imitate wine. It probably tastes better with this kind of food that pumpkin juice, don't you think? If you think we're done I'll write to Dumbledore to ask him about it all._

_Wow, I hadn't actually realised how long my letter was in the end. Hope it wasn't too boring! Speak to you soon!_

_Sirius."_

"_Dear Sirius,_

_First of all, I'd like to say thanks for trusting me enough to tell me about your family. I have, sadly, had to deal with Narcissa a couple of years ago, and it wasn't pleasant. I'm impressed that you became who you are today despite your surroundings! You've got to be a very strong person! The only thing I can say about your family, and especially your brother, is wait and see. I mean, I know it's not the best political situation for them to show their good side, but you never know. Your brother is young, there is still time for him to change, don't you think? I know that it probably sounds very naïve but…_

_About your summer plans now, I would have offered you to stay over at my place but I guess that would be even worse than you staying with James…But if you ever need to, feel free to come over. It's not really as though I live a hundred miles away – my house's really just outside London._

_I don't know if you like reading but if you want I can send you a couple of good muggle novels to help you pass the time! I know that this sort of distractions really works for me when I'm at Hogwarts. I often find stories much more exciting than real life. It's amazing how a couple of words have the power to transport you from your own world to a brand new one you hadn't even imagined existed. Every time I go into a bookshop or a library, especially the very old ones, I always have the impression that all the universes from all the books in the shop are mixing up in the open space between the books. There are so many stories colliding in there… It probably sounds really bizarre but never mind… Anyway, just tell me what kind of books you like and I'll find you some reading._

_Petunia's been back from uni since yesterday and she's already driving me nuts. Apparently she's met this guy in London who's just finished his studies and now she wants to quit her degree and marry him. Great._

_By the way, I went shopping in London the other day. I was wondering where you lived. Who knows, I might have walked down your street without knowing it! I hope James, Remus and Peter are doing fine! You know what, it's quite strange to write to you like this. Not in a bad way, obviously. I just mean that it's not as though we know each other that well, and yet we write like old friends…do you think we'll be able to keep it up, even when we're back at school? I really hope so!_

_I think the menu is as good as it'll get. Will you write to Dumbledore then?_

_Good luck at home! Speak to you soon!_

_Lily."_

"_Dear Lily,_

_Thanks for your offer! I'd love to have some reading! We don't have "real" books at home, just dull history books and horrible manuscripts about magic. Anything you like will do, I'm not a picky reader._

_I'm glad I didn't upset you too much with the story of my family. It's really not as bad as it sounds. Most of the time, they leave me alone and I'm free to do whatever I want as long as I don't leave the house. Now formal dinners on the other hand… those are highly unpleasant. It's actually because of one of them that I didn't answer your letter until now. On the menu: 8 p.m., soup (in July, I know…), seasoned with small talk; 8.30 and a few glasses of wine later, beef tongue (they seem to like that, or maybe it's an inside joke I don't get) with mashed potatoes and slightly offensive comments; 10, apple pie with its sauce of pompous political declarations. Then came the port and the drunken dancing until indecent hours of the morning. It took me about a day to recover. Every time it seems to take me longer and longer…_

_I heard from James at last. He's doing great and he says hi! And he also wonders why we've never actually talked to you till now. I have to admit I don't know that either… and I don't see why the beginning of the school year should mean we're going to stop talking! As far as I'm concerned (and I think my fellow Marauders will agree with me) I'd love to be friends with you!_

_Remus is alright as well, although he was ill last week. He's better now. And Pete's in Australia, visiting his family there so I don't know if I'll actually hear from him before the 1rst of September._

_Oh and I also got a message from Dumbledore. He seemed to love the menu, and he suggested snacks for during the ball._

_How have you been these past couple of days? Did you get up to much with Clare? How are your sister's marriage plans? How well are your parents reacting?_

_Speak to you soon!_

_Sirius."_

"_Dear Sirius,_

_Oh. My. Goodness. Petunia invited her boyfriend over for dinner the other day. It was awful. Vernon's disgusting, rude and unpleasant. It's horrible to see Petunia being all over him all the time. Even my parents were a bit upset by the end of the meal. It's like she has no self-esteem left at all or no real personality for that matter. The only thing she was able to do was look at him adoringly, agree with everything he said and do everything he told her to. I know being in love's a great feeling and all, but the effects of it can seem slightly scary, seen from afar. Ugh, I'd rather not think about it._

_Apart from this disastrous meal, my week so far has been rather good. I've been to the cinema, and watched a couple of movies with Clare. It's been raining quite a lot so we did mostly that and a bit of chatting and reading. Clare says hi and that she'd love to meet you!_

_You know, I was just thinking: maybe we should make a menu like the one you made of your dinner, dictating the mood of the conversation depending on the dish you're eating (minus the offensive comments and all). Like "Shrimp salad and light conversation". Now about the snacks Dumbledore suggested, well we could always have crisps and sweets, and the usual soft drinks. Are we actually allowed alcohol? Maybe we could try to have a butterbeer a person and a glass of punch or something, what do you think?_

_Say hi to the other Marauders for me and tell James that we can start talking (and even be friends) in September if that's what he's into. I'd love to get to know you all better! I really meant to go and talk to you more often at Hogwarts, but I was a bit too shy to make the first step… usually I don't talk to people too much because it's hard to know who'll blame you for being a muggleborn and who won't… not that I thought you guys would mind the fact that I'm not a pureblood witch, but still, you're quite intimidating in your own way. You seem so close to each other that I almost feel like I'm intruding whenever I talk to you…_

_Here are a few of books. I hope you'll find something you like! _

_Speak to you soon!_

_Lily."_

"_Dear Lily,_

_Thanks for the books! I've read one so far and loved it! Sorry I wasn't able to answer sooner but had another dinner. And the day after that, my mother took me with her to Amelia Parkinson's birthday party. I'd rather not think about what that's supposed to mean… I'm pretty sure she's plotting something!_

_Well your evening with Petunia and her boyfriend sounds about as much fun as my own formal dinners. Poor you! Let's hope it's just a phase she's going through!_

_I'd love to meet Clare as well, she seems lovely! It's a shame I'm stuck at home! I'm actually considering moving out as soon as I'm off age. I just hope I'll be able to hold on until then, but I've only been here about two weeks and I already feel barking mad. That's definitely not a good sign, now is it?_

_I'll send another message to Dumbledore to ask him about the alcohol. I think it should be fine cause the ball is meant to be only for the 5th years and above. The younger ones will be there for the meal but they'll have their own little party earlier in the afternoon. I would agree with your idea for the menu, but I think most people won't actually stick to what is written (unless we force them to, that is )._

_James says hi! He's going to France with his parents tomorrow. He's supposed to stay with his cousins there for one or two weeks I think. He promised to send me something amusing and French… Knowing him I don't know if I aught to be pleased or scared…_

_He told me he was definitely going to make sure to talk to you more often when we're back in Hogwarts. I understand what you wrote about us being really close and you feeling like you're intruding, but that's not what we want you to feel. I mean, it's true that we're very close but we don't try to block other people out, especially not you. I guess it's a bit like you and Clare, see what I mean?_

_Well, I'll go back to your books now (I'm reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_, it's amazing!). Don't expect my reply too soon. I think my mother's got about a thousand things planned for me over the next couple of days. I'm really not looking forward to that…_

_Speak to you soon!_

_Sirius."_

"_Dear Sirius,_

_The Family Crisis has started. My parents don't want Petunia to stop her degree because they think it's a shame for her to waste this opportunity she has. Petunia's convinced that they're doing this to ruin her life and spends all day yelling and crying. I'm thinking about taking all my stuff and moving in with Clare for the rest of the holidays because I don't know how long I'll be able to stand all of it. It's a good thing mum and dad are both working all day because then, Petunia has no one left to yell at. She's supposed to go and spend a couple of days at Vernon's soon anyway. I'm really looking forward to that!_

_Apart from that, things are great here. Clare's cousin, who lives down the road, has just had a little girl so we're helping out over there quite a bit. I also managed to find myself a job: I'm going round and distributing the newspapers every day. That means waking up early but that's ok cause I've got the rest of the day to sleep anyway _

_I'm really glad you like the books!! Take your time to read them, I'm not in a hurry to have them back or anything! Clare says hi. She's very glad you like _To Kill a Mockingbird_, it's one of her favourite books._

_So what were your mother's plans in the end? Did you have any more dinners to go to? Good luck with it!_

_Tell James I say hi and thanks for wanting to talk to me more (I promise I won't be afraid of you )! I hope he's having fun in France. About his present for you, think about it this way: at least it might keep you busy for a little while. It might even turn out to be something useful (you never know!). I just hope he won't try to send us something like snails or frog legs…(oh, the joys of overused clichés!)_

_Speak to you soon!_

_Lily."_

"_Dear Lily,_

_I'm so glad this past week and a half is over. Hopefully it was the worse of the holidays, rather than the worse I've had so far…I'm positively sure Mother's plotting something but I still don't know what it is. She's so damn subtle about it, there's no way of guessing. But I've got a feeling it won't be good news. _

_We're having a dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday. Hurrah. By the way, thanks for your card! It made me laugh! I got James' present as well. It turned out to be a really good one! I didn't understand it at first: he sent me a pocket mirror. It was a nice one, from a little French monastery of the South coast, fair enough, but still… But the thing is he actually charmed it so we would be able to talk to each other through it – a bit like your telephone but with sound and image. It's amazing!_

_I hope your situation at home has gotten a bit better! Have your parents and your sister managed to come to an agreement yet? It's a good thing you're keeping yourself busy!_

_I finished the books you've leant me! You can tell Clare I'm glad we've got similar tastes: it's hard to pick favourites between all the books I've read in my life so far, but I think _To Kill a Mockingbird _would definitely make it on the list!_

_Got an answer from Dumbledore and he agrees about the butterbeer and punch! Yay!_

_Well, I've got to run. The dinner starts in an hour and my mother told me she wanted me to look my best. She even bought me new formal robes for the occasion and all. And she told me there would be a "very special present". I've got a really bad feeling about it all… Cross your fingers for me, will you?_

_Speak to you soon!_

_Sirius."_


	4. Un Lily Titled

A/N : My goodness, dialogues are hard to write! And writing this last chapter I've realised that my story wasn't actually going anywhere. I mean, I had a point when I started it, but now I seem to have lost it. Ah well… here's the 4th and last chapter, enjoy!

Chapter Four : Un-Lily-Titled / Road to Friendship

Lily awoke with a start, wondering what had woken her up in the middle of the night.

Tap-tap! Taptaptap! That insistent tapping on the window! Not fully awake, she started making her way towards the noise. For a moment, the light of the lampposts outside was too bright for her to see anything but then she was able to make out the shape of Sirius' owl, fluttering in front of her. She opened the window but the bird did not try to get into the room. Instead it flew down towards a black shape in the driveway.

"Lily?" came Sirius' voice. "Is that you?"

"Sirius? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Well, I…"

"Hold on," she cut him. "I'll be down in a minute."

Grabbing a sweater, she ran down the stairs and opened the front door.

"You're wet!" she exclaimed when she got a better look of Sirius.

"Yes, it's raining…"

Ushering him inside, Lily looked at him curiously. He was wearing a big black cloak. The tip of a large suitcase was just visible in its folds. He took off his dripping-wet cloak and hung it over the banister like she told him to. The black dressing robes he was wearing underneath made the paleness of his face stand out even more. When he turned around to face her, she noticed for the first time the dark red cut on his left cheek. The skin around it was starting to take a nasty shade of blue.

"Sirius…?"

Lily did not quite know what to say. She had got his last letter only a couple of hours ago, and had figured out his presence here had to do with something that had happened during the birthday dinner. She led him to the kitchen.

"What happened?"

"Well," he started with a wry smile, "it seems my feeling was right. My mother's surprise was every bit as bad as I thought it would be. D'you want to know what it was?"

"Sure," she answered, realising she was holding her breath with anticipation.

"All went alright, well sort of anyway, until the port. My father decided to give a toast. He does it every year, and it usually involves shameless praising of our family and snide comments to me. Well this year he took this opportunity to announced to all our guests and me that I was engaged to Cornelia Parkinson..."

"You've got to be joking!"

"I wish I was! You know, arranged marriages are usually quite common amongst old wizard families. To keep the blood pure and all that, you see… Well I sort of expected it to happen to me one day, but not so soon. And not with Cornelia Parkinson – she's nine years old for crying out loud!"

"So what did you do?"

"It took me a while to realise what he had said – I don't usually listen to my father's speeches. But then everybody dispersed in the room and people started coming up to me and congratulate me on my engagement. When I asked my parents, they told we would talk about it later. I think that really pushed me over the edge. I'd just about finished to pack all my stuff when my mother came into my room. She asked me what I thought I was doing. So I said I was sick of it all and that she could start making excuses for Cornelia's mother because there was no way I was going to marry her. She told me to stop being unreasonable, in that very cold and condescending way of hers. My God, she's got such a way of looking at you…! The most infuriating thing is you can't actually do anything about it, she'll always be right, and you'll be the one who is too stupid to realise that!"

"Did she do that, on your cheek?"

"Oh that. Yeah, that was her. I think it's the one and only time in my life I actually managed to make her really mad. She'd never hit me before, you know… I guess she had realised by that point that there was nothing she could do to make me stay. I don't think she meant to cut me quite as badly, but she forgot she was holding her wand and… yeah."

He brought his fingers to his cheek and gently ran them along the cut.

"I'm really sorry to wake you up the in middle of the night. It's just that, when I left, I realised the Potters were away and all the other people I know lived too far away for me to get there tonight without magic. So here I am…" he gave a joyless chuckle.

"Hey, that's alright, don't worry about it! There's a spare bedroom you can use while you're here, I'm sure my parents won't mind!"

"Thanks, I…"

"'S alright I tell you! And you're lucky as well: Petunia's not here this week, which means a bit of peace. And you'll be able to meet Clare at last, and… come on, I'll show you your room! I'll get you something for your face."

The next morning, when she woke up, it took Lily a while to remember what had happened the night before. She had not quite gotten over the idea that Sirius had thought of coming to see her, out of all the people he knew. True, James and Peter were abroad and Remus lived far away, but still! She felt happy and, surprisingly enough, a bit relieved, just like she had when Sirius had told her that James wanted to be friends with her too. Maybe she would be able to have friends in the wizarding community after all? Maybe she would finally be able to fit in? Thinking about it, she hurried downstairs. The noise coming from the kitchen told her that her mother was already up.

"Mum?"

"Morning darling. Had a good night's sleep?"

"Mum, you know I told you about Sirius Black, the Gyffindor prefect with me next year?"

"Mmmh? What about him?"

"Well, he had a fight with his family yesterday and there's no one else he knows who lives nearby, so he came to see me last night. He's upstairs in the guestroom… he can spend a couple of days here, right?"

"Of course he can! Is he alright?"

"I… guess he is. I didn't want to ask too many questions. I mean, I don't really know him that well, so…"

"That's alright, darling. Now go and ask him if he wants some breakfast. It's a good thing Petunia isn't here. I don't know how she would have liked having a witch _and_ a wizard at home…"

Lily climbed up the stairs once more and knocked gently on the guestroom door.

"Come in?"

Sirius was sitting on his bed, already dressed. He looked tired but his face had lost the deadly paleness it had had the night before. The bruise was still very much there but the cut did not look quite as big as earlier on.

"Morning Sirius. How are you feeling?"

"Alright, thanks."

"If you need to talk about what happened yesterday or anything…"

"Thanks, I appreciate it Lily."

"Fancy some breakfast?"

"Yes please!"

"Mum's downstairs, she said you could stay here as long as you needed to. See, I told you it would be fine!"

"Morning Sirius!" said Lily's mother when they entered the sunny kitchen. "Had a good night's sleep?"

"Good morning, Mrs Evans. Thank you for letting me stay here! James should be back at the end of the week and…"

"Don't worry about it, darling. Stay as long as you need to! Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please."

Sitting across Sirius in her own kitchen, watching him joke around with her and her parents, Lily finally felt more content than she had in years. Of course, she felt sorry for Sirius and worried about what would happen to him next, but she could not help but be happy. All the different pieces of her life were finally coming together, united in the cosy picture she had in front of her

A/N: points bonus pour Justine si elle trouve la référence au RHPS.


End file.
